


One Ocean View

by sinfuldesire_archivist



Category: Kane (Band), Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-28
Updated: 2008-10-27
Packaged: 2018-09-03 15:27:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8719045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinfuldesire_archivist/pseuds/sinfuldesire_archivist
Summary: Stressed at work, Jensen gets an invitation from some old friends he can’t refuse; a month of nothing but fun in the sun down in the islands. But what starts out as a light-hearted summer fling with a local surfer quickly turns into a heated romance neither man expected. When the summer comes to an end, will Jensen be able to let go of the one thing that makes him happy?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the Sinful Desire archivists: this story was originally archived at [Sinful-Desire.org](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sinful_Desire). To preserve the archive, we began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2016. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [Sinful Desire collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/sinfuldesire/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Written for the j2au Summer Love Song fic challenge on Livejournal, prompt "There's Something Sexy About The Rain" by Kenny Chesney

[](http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x220/csigurl13/?action=view%C2%A4t=oovbanner.jpg)

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

“Come down to the island, Jen” they had said. “You won’t regret it. Nothing but sand, sun, and beer all summer long.” They promised him stress free fun, one-night stands, and all the booze he could stomach under the warm Caribbean sun.

 

They had lied

 

Jensen stared out the window of the taxi cab, watching the raindrops as they slid down the pane. Palm trees grew sharp green against a grey, dismal sky; clouds as far as the eye could see. The streets were slick and shiny; potholes turned into miniature pools that tires splashed in. Neon signs glowed bright against the premature dark. Here and there people darted about with umbrellas and scowling faces.

 

This was not the paradise they had promised him. In fact, it wasn’t far off from the place he called home. Well except for the glaring difference of palm trees and sand lined streets.

 

Grumbling and complaining in his head, he settled back into his seat and listened to the taxi driver, a dark skinned man with a thick Jamaican accent named Martin, chatter on about the weather and the storms moving through the area; about how that restaurant had the best crab legs served by some fine ladies and how Joe’s place had the best live entertainment in all the islands. If he noticed his animated conversation was purely one-sided, he didn’t seem to show it, just kept up the constant stream of information. Jensen’s fingers drummed out a steady beat on his thigh, matching the ever increasing tempo of the rain on the roof.

 

Soon the bustling city scene outside his window wound down to houses, two or three here, a group of seven or eight there, until they were turning onto a deserted strip of sand packed road. A lone street sign at the corner, white wood with carefully scrawled blue letters, declared it “Ocean View”. Leave it to his friends to find the most out of the way, run down dump as their dwelling in “paradise”.

 

But as much as he wanted to rag on them, he couldn’t help but admire the view. The street was aptly named, he thought, as there was nothing but sand interrupted by tall, lush palm trees every few feet. And out beyond that, not 500 yards from the road the ocean stretched and yawned, meeting a dismal and dark horizon. White capped and frothing waves crashed brutally upon the sand, their roar almost as loud as the claps of thunder above them.

 

The scenery held his attention until he heard the crunch of tires on gravel. He pulled his gaze from the captivating ocean to see a house in front of them; a large three-story, blue clapboard house with white-wash trim and a large front porch. It was so perfect it was almost cliché, but strangely enough, Jensen couldn’t find it in himself to do anything but love it. It was a long way away from the cheap fixer-up they had written home about five years ago.

 

As the cab pulled to a stop in the white pebbled driveway, Jensen glanced up at the sign above the porch and let out a loud laugh. One Ocean View was definitely a fitting address with no other houses in sight. Martin gave him a smirk through the rearview mirror, evidently happy to see some sign of life from his passenger in the back, before he opened his car door and got out. 

 

Jensen followed suit, pulling his duffle bag out of the backseat with him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the rain, at least on this little part of the island, had ceased. Thunder rumbled in the distance, blue lightning jumped from cloud to cloud to light up the sky every few seconds, and a warm, salty breeze were the only signs left from the storm. Well that and the puddles in the driveway.

 

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Jensen came around the side of the car to help Martin with his suitcase when the door to the house opened up, three figures spilling out on to the porch. 

 

“Jenny! You made it, man.”

 

Jensen knew instinctively who that was and gave the finger in Steve’s direction, unsure if his gesture would be seen in the darkening night. The hoots of laughter told him it was definitely seen. He grinned and turned back to the trunk to see Martin already carrying his suitcase up the porch steps, talking animatedly to his three friends.

 

“Hey Marty! How are ya man?” Chris clapped the driver on the back while Steve shook the guy’s hand. Jason grabbed up Jensen’s suitcase setting it by the front door before he was shaking Martin’s hand as well.

 

“Everyt’ing a’ight, man” Martin replied, shoulders and knees bobbing a show of relaxation.

 

Jensen, intrigued, leaned against the railing at the bottom of the steps and watched the interaction between them.

 

“You coming to Joe’s on Tuesday? We got a few new songs debuting,” Chris laid out the line as smooth as any; very few wouldn’t be caught hook, line, and sinker by his rich drawl and easy attitude.

 

Martin, however, seemed immune to Chris’s charm, years of resilience forged by friendship was Jensen’s guess. Martin seemed to ponder the idea before he broke out into a grin. “Yeah, man. Me and the missus. Wouldn’t miss it for da world.” He laughed, then hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “Ya bringin’ whitey?”

 

That seemed to bring everyone up short for a minute before they remembered the reason for Martin’s visit and looked down to see a smirking Jensen. Chris was the first to grin as he looked down to Jensen and cracked up all over again. “Get your ass up here, Jen!” he waved Jensen up, pulling him into a hug the moment Jensen had one foot on the top step.

 

He was released, allowed to move up onto the porch before Steve engulfed him in a bear-hug. Followed shortly by Jason. Jensen laughed, couldn’t help himself as he finally felt the tension ease out of him. Maybe this was paradise?

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Twenty minutes later the storm started to pick up again. Martin headed off in his taxi back down the deserted strip of shoreline, hoping to beat the storm into town, while Jensen was herded inside with his luggage. Jason grabbed his suitcase and led him through the living room to the spare bedroom, his room they insisted on calling it. Flopping the baggage down on the bed, he made a crack about Jensen being a city slicker and needing to change before he headed back out.

 

Grumbling good naturedly, Jensen peeled off his damp clothes, his dress shirt bereft of tie and khaki slacks were his work attire; attire that he hadn’t had time to change out of before his flight. Once dressed more comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt, he sauntered back out into the living room to be greeted by Chris and an ice cold beer.

 

He motioned to the room with a grand sweep of his arm before he said, “Welcome to One Ocean View. This is the living room. That behind me, where Steve is burning dinner, would be the kitchen. Figure everything else out for yourself.” He grinned before walking back to the kitchen giving Steve a playful whip of a dishtowel before he was once again up to his elbows in dirty dishes.

 

Taking a sip of his beer Jensen glanced around the room, thoroughly impressed with what he saw. The living room was big, complete with a large screen TV on the wall and surround sound system, an extra long sit-down-and-sink-in couch and matching chairs. Below the TV was a fireplace with ornately carved stonework and marble mantel adorned with various pictures. Flanking the fireplace were two shelves filled with movies on one side, and music on the other. Jensen grinned as he scanned the titles there, mostly action movies and mostly country rock CDs though there were some surprises mixed in. Since when did they listen to reggae?

 

All along where the back wall should have been were large glass panes, a sliding door in middle. Jensen had noticed the same thing in his room, both doors leading out onto a patio that disappeared into the sand. A perfect view of the ocean.

 

He bypassed the kitchen, for now at least, and instead headed back the hallway off of it. To his right he found an office, a little larger than Jensen’s own and much more cluttered. To the right was the dining room complete with the glass wall looking out to the sea. It was nothing more than a messy table, a week’s worth of piled up mail and newspapers collecting at one end, and six chairs, but there was some indefinable quality of home that relaxed him just a bit more.

 

Up the stairs were their bedrooms, Chris and Steve taking up the larger master bedroom while Jason took the slightly smaller one across the hall. That’s where Jensen found Jason, standing on his balcony overlooking the beach, phone pressed to his ear and speaking in hushed tones. Textbooks were scattered across his bed and the desk in the corner. Jensen hadn’t realized that Jason had gone back to school. What other things from his friends’ lives was he missing out on?

 

Bypassing Chris and Steve’s bedroom, because really, he wasn’t all that curious about what went on in there, Jensen found two others doors at the end of the hallway. The first led to nothing more interesting than a storage room, piled high with boxes, some marked, some covered with an inch of dust. Jensen was just beginning to wonder what had happened to all their instruments and equipment when he opened the second door revealing a staircase. Flicking on the light switch he climbed up the creaky stairs to find himself in a home studio. All their equipment and guitars were up here. It was brightly lit and laid back with a beat-up leather sofa and old tour posters and awards lining the walls.

 

“Its great isn’t it.” Steve’s voice startled Jensen out of his amazement, his hand coming to lay softly on Jensen’s shoulder as he came to stand beside him. Steve’s gaze fell lovingly over the room, like a parent admiring a child with pride, for a moment before he motioned to the wall on his right. “See that?”

 

Jensen’s curiosity got the best of him as he took a few steps over to look. A bark of laughter escaped as he saw there on the wall an autographed, definitely used, bar napkin. But it wasn’t just any signature on there. It was his and Chris’s and Steve’s and Jason’s. He remembered fondly how they had all signed the napkin after they finished their first gig in college. For when we are famous! Jensen had declared with pride, scrawling his name across a ring made from his whiskey glass.

 

“You kept it?!” he asked incredulously as he scanned over the other pictures on the wall. All posters and photos from their college years, when the four of them would sing together. When Jensen wanted nothing more than to keep the rock star dream alive. Before Jensen had gotten into medicine and dropped all other passions.

 

Steve just nodded, his eyes wondering over the captured memories as well before he smirked and nodded towards the door. “Dinner’s ready.” 

 

Jensen followed quietly, casting one more glance to the wall before he clicked off the light and closed the door. If he and Steve both looked a little nostalgic when they sat down for dinner, no one mentioned a thing.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

After dinner found Jensen lounging back on the couch, feet propped up on the arm rest nursing another beer. After they steadfastly refused his help in anything resembling the clean up of dinner, Jensen slunk away to rest. He was exhausted after working a full over-night shift, then flying down here. And while his body was relaxed and sated, his mind couldn’t seem to find peace.

 

It was so easy how quickly he fell back into his old routine, how easy it was to just exist around his friends. He glanced down at his fourth beer with something akin to mockery. He couldn’t honestly remember the last time he had had this much to drink, and that wasn’t including the half a bottle of wine he drank at dinner all by himself. When he was back home he would nurse a beer when he got home, maybe one glass of wine if he was out to dinner with colleagues, and an occasional tumbler of whiskey or a shot of tequila if he was having a bad day. At home he was straight-laced and strict with his routine, couldn’t afford to be anything but. No late nights out on days off, no unnecessary time taken off work unless he was ill. He just couldn’t afford it, his patients couldn’t afford it.

 

But here … it was almost scary how easy it was for him to pour another glass of wine, grab another beer from the fridge. It was easy to slid back into banter with his friends, to relax and let go. This was what it had been like in college and he missed those days, missed his friends terribly. With the laid back, easy atmosphere here he would like to think that it would take nothing to convince him to never go back, but in the back of his mind he knew he could never stay.

 

“Hey, easy with the hard thinkin’ there.” Chris’s head appeared in Jensen’ eye line. His face was easy with a smile, but behind it was soft concern. “You okay, Jen? You’ve been quiet since you got here.”

 

Jensen sighed, took another sip of his beer, before he looked back up at Chris. “Yep. Never better.” 

 

He knew Chris could see through his false smile, but he also knew Chris would never push the issue, which he was eternally grateful for. Instead, he just nodded then ruffled Jensen’s hair. “All right. We’re turning in, seeing as some of us have to work for a living around here. Make yourself at home.” 

 

Jensen nodded and watched as Chris headed towards the staircase. He felt the pause more than he saw it, but then Chris’s voice drifted back to him through the darkness, “See ya tomorrow Jen”, before he was up the stairs without any more hesitation. Jensen just turned his gaze back out the glass door watching the lightning jumping from cloud to cloud until his eyes were too heavy to stay open any longer.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Monday morning found Jensen still in bed nursing a headache. Jet-lag catching up with him full force. And combined with his excessive drinking last night making, the thought of simply getting up before noon was murder. In fact, he was actually glad to roll over and see rain splattering against the glass. It gave him an excuse to sleep a while longer. What was he supposed to do stuck on the beach in the rain?

 

Two hours later, a much more acceptable time considering it was closer to the afternoon, Jensen drug himself out of bed and into the kitchen. It took him fifteen minutes to figure out how to work the coffee pot and another five to figure out where the mugs were. After downing the first cup standing against the counter, Jensen took his second cup into the bathroom with him where he started his shower. It never ceased to amaze him what hot water and a little caffeine could do.

 

Feeling a little closer to the human race, Jensen padded back out to the kitchen, water droplets still running down his neck from his hair, glasses perched on his nose, in yesterday’s wrinkled t-shirt and jeans. There was a note on the fridge, most likely from Chris given the barely legible scrawl.

 

Whenever you get your ass out of bed there is breakfast in the fridge. You’re on your own for anything else.

 

Jensen grinned to himself as he plucked the note from its resting place beneath a hula dancer magnet and opened the door. There, sitting eye level on the shelf, was a plate of pancakes with another note tacked to it. Taking the plate out, he wondered to himself just how many more sticky notes he would find all over the house. He popped the plate in the microwave and poured himself another mug of coffee and wandered out to the living room.

 

He only intended to turn on the TV to check the weather for the next few days, hoping that the rain would be ceasing soon. Instead, he ended up standing in front of the mantel staring at the pictures before him. Front and center was one that Jensen kept on his wall was well; a picture taken of the four of them in front of their apartment their first year at college together. Chris and Steve, already seasoned veterans at campus life, held a freshly graduated Jason and Jensen in a headlock, grinning at the camera like they had just won the lottery. Jensen remembered that day, hell he remembered those first two years when it was all fun and games and parties.

 

There was a picture of Jason, Chris, and Steve holding surfboards, a tall stranger was standing next to Jason, arm draped over his shoulders and wetsuit riding dangerously low on his narrow hips. There was one of Chris and Steve on stage, one of Steve in front of his restaurant and one of Chris in front of his garage. Jason and Chris holding up beers in a salute in one hand, large fish in the other as they stood on a dock next to a boat. Chris, Jason, and Steve in front of their new house. Jason in cap and gown showing off a new teaching degree. All points in his friends’ lives he had missed holed up in Seattle chasing his own dream.

 

It should have made him sad, like the run in with nostalgia had last night. But if anything, it just made him happier. His friends had good lives here; they were happy and living out their dreams. And Jensen was doing the same thing. He just wished there weren’t thousands of miles and missed years between them. 

 

In the kitchen, the microwave beeped bringing Jensen out of his thoughts. There was no use mulling it over, no use analyzing it to death, it was clean cut what would happen at the end of this month. He would go back to his life in Seattle, back to his work at the children’s hospital, and leave this carefree life behind once again. That was it, said and done. No use in worrying about it now. With a deep breath and a clear mind, Jensen headed into his breakfast.

 

By the time everyone came home, around five o’clock, Jensen had just about driven himself crazy. He’d unpacked all his clothes and washed all the dishes. He’d hooked his laptop up to the internet and checked his email, letting his mom know he’d gotten there safe, checked his work email for updates on any cases, then resigned himself to catching up on paperwork. He knew Steve would kick his ass if he found out so Jensen cut out on the work early, before he got sucked in too deep and lost track of time. Hell, he even had dinner started by the time they were walking in the door.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

The next morning found Steve home sitting out on the back patio under an overcast sky, quietly strumming on the guitar. Jensen stood in the open doorway for a moment just watching the quiet contentment he saw on his friend’s face, the care and almost loving way he handled the guitar, finger’s caressing, coaxing the notes out. His voice a low rumbling melody, twining with the distant bass of the ocean and the guitar’s notes, creating a one of a kind song.

 

When Steve looked up, Jensen smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at getting caught watching. But Steve just waved him over. “Sorry, hope I didn’t wake you up,” he said as Jensen slung himself, still bed rumbled and in pajamas, into a deck chair next to Steve. 

 

Jensen just shook his head and leaned back, enjoying the crisp, clean ocean air. Steve’s fingers picked up another melody, tripping over the strings with practiced ease. After a while, Steve handed over the guitar without saying a word. Jensen took it, fingers fumbling for a moment before they remembered their places. It took him a moment to remember what he was playing before he recognized the first song he and Steve ever wrote together. He heard Steve start to sing and before he knew it, the shaky notes turned stronger and he was singing along with Steve.

 

All time melted away from them, measured only by the notes played out and the deepening of the ocean’s roar. 

 

Eventually they took a break, Jensen finally taking a shower and getting dressed. They ate lunch standing in the kitchen and watching the weather report. Steve did laundry, Jensen checked email. But eventually they found themselves out on the edge of the patio once again, a guitar and a notebook between them, Jensen’s toes buried in the sand as they worked on a new tune.

 

It was panning out to be another relaxing evening spent with his friends out on the patio watching the sun slowly sink into the ocean with a couple of beers when Chris brought it up.

 

“Hey Jen, we’re heading into town tonight to play a gig at a bar. Wanna join in?” Chris was smirking into his beer as he asked, like he already knew what Jensen’s answer would be and what the end result would be anyway.

 

He had to think back for a moment, then remembered the conversation they had with Marty on the front porch the night he had arrived. Of course, the gig at Joe’s. Jensen took sip of his beer and scowled at Chris. They were expecting him to put up a fuss, then they would cart him off anyway. Why fight it? 

 

“Sure” he said simply, quietly enjoying the confusion on their faces before comprehension joined in.

 

“Well hell, if I knew it was gonna be that easy …” Chris let his sentence trail off into a grin before he settled back into his chair.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

An hour later, Jensen came out of his room tugging on his shirt. When he caught sight of this three friends standing in the living room he couldn’t help but double over with laughter. All four of them were dressed in the same ensemble, only varying colors and stages of distress. Worn-in, faded-out jeans, western style shirts, Chris in dark red, Steve in dark brown, Jason in white, and Jensen himself in dark blue, and completing the whole look with beat-up boots. Only missing cowboy hats, they looked like they were ready for a show in a Texan honky-tonk, not a beachside bar in the Caribbean Islands.

 

Steve and Chris exchanged looks before nodding at Jason. He stepped aside revealing an old beat-up guitar case covered in tourist style bumper stickers. They grinned at him as Jensen stepped closer, mouth hanging open in disbelief as he ran his hand lovingly over the case. He stammered for a moment, tongue and brain working in opposite rhythms to try and form a coherent sentence. Giving up, he settled for just shaking his head and popping open the latches to stare at his old guitar.

 

“We found her when we were packing up to move down here.” Jason explained quietly, like it was almost painful to remember. 

 

“You left her in Cali. Thought you’d given her up forever.” Steve added. The knowing look on his face told Jensen there was no denying the statement. Steve had been with him when he rediscovered his love and there was no turning his back on it again.

 

“Guess not.” He murmured as he ran his fingers over the strings.

 

“Steve’s kept her in good shape for ya, just might need a tuning tonight.” Chris nudged Jensen with his elbow as he came and stood beside him. Jensen just nodded dumbly for a moment before closing the case once more. Chris patted him on the back as he picked up his case and said, “Let’s hit it.”

 

They piled in Jason’s jeep, guitars in the back, and sped down the dirt road with the top off. Jensen stared out at the ocean, watching as the sun sank down setting the sky and water on fire with brilliant reds and oranges. He felt a pair of eyes on him and looked over to see Chris watching him with thinly veiled worry. He wanted to tell Chris it was okay, he was okay. But even knowing how much he upset his friend the first night, Jensen just couldn’t get the words out to let him know it was all right now; that the tangled ball of emotions and stress and problems inside him were unraveling with each belly laugh and beer, with every crash of a wave and every second of friendship. Instead he settled for an easy smile and a nod before he turned back to the captivating scenery.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Sloppy Joe’s was situated on the boardwalk right off the corner of Second and Main, a small looking building with paint chipping off and a hand-painted sign hanging crookedly just above the entrance. But the inside was what made it, Jensen figured as he settled with his beer on stool nearest the stage. It was deceptively large with a dance floor in front of the stage, a few dozen or so tables and booths lining the walls. Steve had joked that it looked shabby from the outside to deter tourists. Jensen thought it did a good job.

 

For eight o’clock the place was pretty dead, but with each minute that ticked closer to nine more people flooded in. Jensen sat and watched as Chris and Steve set up the stage while Jason fiddled with the sound equipment and lighting. Joe had come over and introduced himself, a man from the states himself with long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail and a now permanent tan. He told Jensen how he’d gotten tired of corporate business and a shabby marriage with his wife and decided he needed a change. He came down here on vacation and fifteen years later still hadn’t gone home yet. Jensen laughed but Joe just gave him a smile that said he was completely serious before he was off serving customers once again.

 

Ten thirty found Jensen on his third beer and standing near the stage as Chris and Steve started their last song for this set. He forgot how hard they rocked when on stage, how well their voices blended together, how easy it was to find himself gravitating towards the music until he was at the front of the crowd, body swaying to the beat. Jason came to stand beside him, two capped beers under his arms and carrying four shots in his hands. He grinned at Jensen before he motioned to Chris.

 

At the end of the song Chris came of to the edge and grabbed the beers, then pulled Jason up on stage with him. Then they were reaching down, grabbing Jensen’s arms. He didn’t even have time to react before they were hauling him up as well. Steve grinned at him as he handed over a shot. Jensen downed it with them, grimacing at the fire that peeled down his throat, gave a quick shake of his head before he laughed with them, sliding back into the game as easy as can be.

 

He and Jason faded off to the side of the stage as Jason pulled his guitar out of his case and readied for his part of the show. Jensen leaned back against the wall sipping his beer and listening to Jason tune. Chris and Steve chatting up the crowd seemed to fade to nothing more than background noise as Jensen relaxed. It was only the mention of his name that bought him sharply back to focus.

 

“… Jason’s coming up in a bit to play for y’all, after the break. But before that we have a surprise for ya,” Chris drawled. “Y’all have heard us talk about our buddy from college, Jensen. Well he came down to visit us for a little while. How would ya like to hear Jensen play a few songs?”

 

Jensen whipped his head around and glared at Chris, but he was just grinning from ear to ear as the audience hooted and hollered, clapping wildly. Jason bumped him with his shoulder and held out Jensen’s guitar to him as Steve came over and practically drug him back out on the stage. He grinned shyly as he took a seat on a stool, watched as Chris and Steve returned to theirs and Jason brought another one out to sit on himself. He plucked quietly at the strings for a moment, more to focus himself than tune.

 

Steve leaned over and whispered in his ear “Remember this one?” before he played the opening notes of Jensen favorite song the four of them had ever played together. He nodded, his fingers quickly picking up the next chord as Chris and Jason chimed in a bar or two later.

 

Three songs into it, Jensen finally felt himself relax, only noticing the audience when they would erupt in applause. By the fourth song it was just Jason and himself, Steve chiming in on the chorus. Chris sat watching them, tapping his foot to the beat and sipping his beer. The next song Jensen and Chris sang along while Jason slipped off stage heading to the bar. The next was just him and Steve, sitting alone on the stage, strumming along while Chris grabbed a beer and joined Jason at a table.

 

Then Steve stood up and leaned over to him. “Play the one you wrote to night,” he whispered. Jensen shook his head for a moment, but his protest was cut off as Steve turned around and grabbed the microphone out of the stand.

 

“Jen hasn’t played in a while, doesn’t he sound great!” The audience clapped and Jensen tried to hide his embarrassment behind his beer bottle. “And it seems island fever has already gotten to our boy here. How would ya like to hear the song Jensen wrote today?” Chris and Jason applauded in the audience as Steve returned the microphone and grabbed his guitar before heading off stage.

 

“I’m gonna kill you for this,” Jensen muttered into the microphone. He heard the ripple of laughter that flooded through the crowd and grinned. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture the note page he’d scribbled on while sitting in the sand, tried to hear and feel the notes he’d played. Giving it a shot, Jensen played the first chord and felt Steve’s encouragement as he hit the next notes.

 

Staring out into the wild blue yonder

So many thoughts to sit and ponder

‘Bout life and love and the lack of

And this emptiness in my heart

 

Too old to be wild and free still

Too young to be over the hill

Should I try to grow up

But who knows where to start

 

So I’ll just sit right here and have another beer in Mexico

Do my best to waste another day

Sit right here and have another beer in Mexico

And let this warm air melt my blues away

 

Finally pulling his eyes off the strings of his guitar, Jensen let his gaze travel over the audience. He watched their faces as they bobbed and sway along to the beat, enthralled by his voice as he started the second verse. His gaze swept farther out, around the tables and booths and the bar. That’s when Jensen saw him, all ten miles of his gorgeous body oozing confidence and appeal as he leaned casually against the bar downing a shot. His eyes, piercing even from a distance, were locked on Jensen as if there were no other in the room, a fire burning deep within their depths.

 

To say Jensen was captivated would be off by a long shot. Jensen couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away, felt the curling of lust heat his blood to near boiling as it seared through his veins. Swallowing thickly and sweating bullets, Jensen ended the song and was finally pulled away from the stranger’s gaze by the wild applause from the audience and his friends.

 

He stood up, making sure to keep his guitar casually in front of him just in case, and gave a small wave and a smile. “Well, that’s all for me tonight. Thanks, you’ve been great” he said into the mike before he gave another wave and fled off stage. 

 

Once out of the line of sight, Jensen relaxed a little more. He gently settled his guitar back in its case and flipped the latches closed. Taking a few deep breaths, he smoothed out his shirt and ran his sweaty hands on his thighs. Once he was sure he was suitable to be seen in public again, Jensen quietly slipped back out to the bar.

 

Joe gave him a wicked grin as he held up two bottles, beer and tequila. Jensen nodded to the tequila before he leaned a hip against the bar. Two shots in and his nerves were calmed down quite a bit, enough so that while still half-hard he could turn around and search for his friends sitting in the sea of people. By number three his hands weren’t shaking anymore and he was almost relaxed again.

 

Almost. Until a body leaned in close to his side. It was the heat he felt first, followed quickly by a deep musky scent of cologne that reminded him of leather and Texan earth. A large hand settled on his arm as the body leaned in. “Saw you up on stage,” a deep Texan drawl whispered in his ear.

 

Surprised to hear an accent, Jensen whipped his head around and found himself staring once again into those eyes. Up close he could see the kaleidoscope of colors in their depths, warm honey in a pool of soft jade, darkening as it stretches out into dark green almost blue. They were still piecing, focus solely on Jensen once again, but they had a friendly warmth resonating in them. Curiosity and intense attraction battling for a close second. God they were beautiful.

 

Jensen finally pulled his gaze away, eyeing the man before him closer. Tanned skin, eyes almost hidden behind a fringe of dark, unruly hair, the muscular yet strangely graceful looking body stretched out before him. The very evident bulge in his j- … Jensen immediately snapped his gaze up to the man’s face, his own cheeks tinged pink at the smirk he received.

 

“‘M Jay, by the way.” He held out his hand, long fingers curling around Jensen’s own. 

 

“Jensen,” he replied pulling his hand away from Jay’s, reaching for his beer instead. He cleared his throat and tried very hard to avert his attention elsewhere, but the man was so damn captivating. Blushing again, Jensen mumbled a quick apology and turned to leave.

 

Jay’s hand, however, reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back. Jensen sat back down on the stool, his body half facing Jay, but even then the warm hand didn’t leave his wrist. He idly wondered if Jay could feel the way his heart was racing away at the sudden, and most definitely welcomed despite his effort to make it seem otherwise, touch. If Jay did notice, he said nothing. Just kept his eyes on Jensen as he took a sip from his beer.

 

“You sounded good up there, you play often?”

 

Good a change of subject, not that they were really talking about much before, rather a change of focus. Jensen shook his head, fiddled with his rolled up sleeves as he answered. “Nah, haven’t done it in a while. Just here on vacation, some friends talked me into it.”

 

“Ah, tourist,” Jay murmured, a dimple flashing grin lighting up his face as he let out a quick chuckle. “Guess I can forgive the hick get-up then.”

 

Jensen laughed with him, tension easing out of his shoulders. When he looked back up at Jay though, his laugh slowly died at the unabashed look of longing in the other man’s eyes. He swallowed thickly as he felt himself lean in closer on instinct. He wasn’t drunk, hell wasn’t even that close to buzzed yet to be feeling this free as he settled a hand on Jay’s hip. But he figured why fight it, wasn’t he promised fun and no strings attached hook ups?

 

Tossing all inhibitions out the window, and the rest of his beer back, Jensen leaned in to whisper in Jay’s ear, “I don’t normally do this, but-“

 

Before he could finish he felt Jay nodding. Jay pulled him off the stool, leading him through the crowd and out a back exit. Jensen didn’t waste anytime once the night air hit his skin, he had Jay pushed up against the wall in the alley before the door even closed behind them. A heady rush hit Jensen, all nerves and adrenaline, and he was chuckling as he pressed himself up against Jay.

 

He could feel the rumbling deep in Jay’s chest as he laughed too, just before their lips met. It was all dry lips and nipping teeth before Jensen slid his tongue along Jay’s lips and slipped inside. He heard Jay moan in quiet approval a moment before a hand was fighting with the zipper on his jeans. 

 

“In quite a hurry aren’t ya?” Jensen joked as he broke the kiss. But his hands were mimicking Jay’s movements, sliding zippers and tugging clothes until his hand met overheated flesh. He sighed as Jay’s hand slid up his stomach, fingers feather touches, before they slid down underneath his boxers.

 

“’M not gonna last long,” Jay whimpered into Jensen’s lips. Jay’s tongue slid home as he tightened his grip on Jensen’s cock and stroked slowly up. 

 

Jensen mirrored Jay’s movements, thumb swirling over the head before sliding back down faster and harder than the ascent. As their tongues dueled and danced for dominance, their hands slid in opposing rhythms, ever faster, a twist here, a tug there, leaving them both gasping for air, lips never parting for long.

 

Jensen felt Jay tense, a high-pitched whimper slipping out before he came. Jay’s hand stilled on Jensen’s cock but that didn’t deter Jensen one bit. Grabbing Jay hips and crushing their bodies closer together, Jensen rocked his hips up once, twice, three times before he was coming with a low groan.

 

Leaning his head against Jay’s chest, Jensen tried desperately to catch his breath, his hands still gripping Jay. He felt a contented sigh sweep through Jay’s chest before his breath whispered out above Jensen’s head. Body sated and lax, he thought he could just stay there for a while, pressed up against Jay’s warm, hard body.

 

It was only the vibrating of his cell in his hip pocket that had them jumping and pulling apart. Jensen, suddenly self conscious, wiped his hand off on his undershirt and turned away from Jay slightly to pull out his phone. ‘Steve’ flashed up at him.

 

“Fuck!” he muttered before he flipped it open. “’Lo?”

 

“Where’d you disappear to man? We’re waiting on ya for shots. J has to get back on stage in a few.” Steve’s voice could barely be heard above the clamor in the bar.

 

“I, uh- I’ll be there in a minute.” He flipped the phone closed and turned back to see Jay zipping up his jeans. Jensen quickly followed suit before he looked up and met Jay’s eyes. “Sorry, I gotta-“ he nodded his head back to the door.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jay seemed suddenly lost for a moment, not sure where to go or what to do now, before he came back to himself, all smiles and confidence. “It was good to meet you Jensen. Hope to see ya ‘round.”

 

“Yeah, you too Jay.” Jensen quickly stepped back into the bar and headed into the bathroom to quickly wash his hands and make sure he was presentable.

 

When he got to the table, he saw Jay standing at the bar again, eyes locked on the beer in front of him. Jensen slid down in his chair and grinned sheepishly up at his friends. “Sorry, had to go catch some air. It’s a lot for one night.” He desperately hoped they’d see through the lie or at least let it go for the night. And it seemed they did as Chris slid him a shot.

 

Jensen downed it with a grin. When he slid his eyes up to the bar again, Jay was no where in sight.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo


	2. Chapter 2

[](http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x220/csigurl13/?action=view&current=oovbanner.jpg)

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Jensen was sitting out on the patio, legs stretched out in the sand, with this second cup of coffee the next morning. It had taken him a while, a long hot shower and a therapy session with his guitar, for him to finally get to sleep. In his mind, the scenes with Jay kept replaying over and over, the look of disappointment and maybe hurt when Jensen had left. The confusion on his face when he saw Jensen sitting at the table with his friends, the sullen slump to his shoulders as he turned back to his beer. But finally exhaustion won out and he’d fallen asleep.

 

He was still trying to convince himself that what happened with Jay was nothing more than a one night fling, had meant nothing and he was reading too much into it. He was projecting his feelings onto Jay. Thankfully, Steve came and rescued him before his mind could carry him off further.

 

“Hey Jen,” Steve sunk down in the sand beside him, bumping shoulders. “We were planning on heading up the coast to surf today. You game?”

 

Jensen laughed for a moment until he realized that Steve was in fact serious. Surf? Sure they had attempted surfing when they’d gone to college in California, made fools of themselves before someone finally took pity on them and showed them the right way to do it. It had been fun, kid stuff really. But to actually go surfing … well Jensen just wasn’t quite sure.

 

“I don’t really remember that much about it,” he replied, eyes fixed on the horizon.

 

Chris came out of the house laughing and settled on the other side of Jensen. “Did I hear that right? Jensen not remembering something?!” He laughed again, hand clapping Jensen on the back. “But even if you don’t remember how to surf, we’ve got that covered.”

 

At Jensen’s puzzled look, Steve chimed in again. “A friend of ours teaches surfing. He’s got a place just up the coast, and extra equipment we can use.”

 

“And he offered to teach your sorry ass how to surf again.” Jason joked as he out of the house snapping his cell closed. “Jared’s expecting us in an hour.”

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Turns out that Jared the surf instructor lived up around the cliffs where Ocean View meets Stringer Heights. The ride was short, but relaxing; Jensen sitting in the back seat with Steve, shades on and the music up, hands tapping out a beat as they song along to the radio. Once they rounded the cliffs, Jensen could see a house in the distance, surrounded almost entirely by palm trees. It was like the guys’ place, one random house on a perfect strip of beach. Only this one was much smaller, yellow clapboard with white trim and a neat little picket fence surrounding it.

 

As they neared it , Jensen could make out a figure in the water, lying back on a surfboard in the calm, crystal blue waters. On the beach two dogs bounced and played, only barking as the Jeep pulled to a stop next to the house. Jason hopped out and bent down low to pet the two dogs, calling out a greeting to the man wading out of the ocean. “What’s up, Jay!”

 

Jensen’s stomach tightened at the name, his shoulders tensing for a moment before he shook it off. Chalking it up to coincidence, he bent down and greeted the two hyper, barking balls of energy hovering at his feet. He heard the man approach as Chris and Steve greeted him. He stood up at the mention of his name “Jen, meet Jared” and was staring directly at the last person he thought he’d see.

 

Jay, in all of his 6 foot something glory. Tan skin stretched over toned muscles, still wet with water droplets racing trails down his chest and stomach before disappearing below the low slung board shorts. Eyes light and piercing, a little shocked and a lot uncomfortable as he bought a hand up to slick back his dark mane. Jared shifted nervously from foot to foot for a minute, long enough for everyone else to notice something was up, before he recovered himself.

 

“Hey Jensen. Nice to meet ya.” He held out his hand and Jensen was suddenly acutely aware that he was standing there staring at this man like a slack-jawed idiot.

 

He cleared his throat and held out his hand. The second Jared’s warm palm wrapped around his own, Jensen felt it deep down in his gut. The same as it was last night, blood rushing through his body, searing every inch of him as it went before pooling south. He tried his best to hide his reaction, prayed that the ever watchful Chris wouldn’t notice. But he knew he started to blush the moment Steve started to open his mouth.

 

“Jen? You okay?” At his words Jason and Chris glanced at him as well. He could withstand one set of curious eyes, but three? Oh hell no.

 

Jensen quickly let go of Jared’s hand and cleared his throat, eyes darting about anywhere but the four men standing in front of him.

 

“It’s hot out here. Wanna head in the house and grab a beer before he hit the surf?” Jensen could’ve kissed Jared for his quick thinking, but he’d been there, done that and look how that turned out. He quickly nodded his agreement and trailed the guys into the house.

 

Chris was the first to notice something was up as he drug Jensen aside not twenty minutes after they arrived. Jensen was trying to be good, kept a three foot distance between him and Jared at all times, hung on the outside of the conversation so as not to intrude, sat on the floor against the doorframe and petted the dogs while the others crashed on the couches and chairs. Jared seemed to be able to keep up a game face, seemed comfortable, easy and relaxed as he chatted with his friends and played host.

 

When he had mentioned having extra surfboards and wetsuits in the garage, Chris had all but jumped at the opportunity, dragging Jensen along with him. Once safely out of hearing distance in the garage, Chris rounded on him, a mixture of annoyance and concern on his face.

 

“What the hell, Jen?!”

 

Jensen felt his eyes go wide, unconsciously took a step back at the sudden explosion coming from the smaller man. “What?” he asked as innocently as he could.

 

“Oh come on Jen, you’re being a total ass and you don’t even know they guy!” Well, Chris was right, he didn’t know Jared, only the parts he’d met last night. But still, he didn’t think jerking a guy off in an alley behind a bar constituted as an official introduction. He didn’t think he was being an ass though, that was a little harsh. He was merely … keeping his distance. For everyone’s sakes.

 

“Seriously man. If you don’t wanna do this, it’s fine. Just be a man about it and say it. And stop being a dick. Jay’s a pretty cool guy. Thought you guys would get along famously …” Chris trailed off as he pulled a hand through his hair with a deep sigh.

 

Jensen, taken aback by his friend’s outburst, couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow. Anyone who gained Chris’s friendship gained his fierce loyal streak as well. And right now that loyalty was torn between two people who obviously meant a lot to him. Jen would let him off the hook … this time, giving the other man a sheepish smile and a mumbled apology.

 

Chris shook his head with a chuckle. “Sorry. Kid just kinda grows on ya after a while.” He gave Jensen a pat on the back then turned to the vast array of surfboards leaned against the walls and body suits hanging on a rack.

 

Chris helped him pick out a board that he thought was right for Jensen and helped him pull on the wetsuit top. Then they were heading out to the beach, the dogs trailing happily at their feet.

 

Once outside, Jared laid his board down in the sand and motioned for Jensen to do the same. “I’ll just show ya the basics, then we can all hit the water. Jason said you surfed before?”

 

It was the first time since their introduction that Jared spoke directly to Jensen and it threw him off for a minute, having those gorgeous eyes solely focused on him. “I uh- I wouldn’t exactly call it surfing. It was more like sitting on a board and getting the shit knocked out of me by waves for a few hours.” He smacked Steve upside the head as he cracked up, remember just how many times Jensen had face planted in the sand trying to find balance on his board.

 

Jared chuckled quietly at that before he got down to business, showing Jensen how to lay down on the board. After helping him find his center of balance and marking the balance spot, Jared demonstrated paddling and watched with slight amusement as Jensen tipped to far to one side and rolled off the board into the sand. He fumed for a moment, casting scathing glares at his three friends sitting in the sand laughing at his expense. It wasn’t long after that Chris, Steve, and Jason all took their boards out and hit the waves.

 

Jensen mastered paddling after a few more minutes, and they moved on to sitting, then finally standing. That’s where the progress stopped. Jensen planted his hands on the board and pushed up, swept his feet under himself but once again missed the stringer. The board tipped and Jensen was flailing, falling face first into the sand. Again.

 

It was only Jared’s quick arms that save him from a mouthful of sand and while he was thankful, he was also beyond frustrated. He pushed Jared’s arms away and hauled himself up off the ground. Jared’s face immediately darkened, his body going stiff.

 

“Fine. You want another sand facial. Be my guest!” Jared backed off a few paces and stood there still as a sentinel, arms folded across his chest and face deceptively blank. He watched, disinterested, as Jensen attempted to stand twice more, each ending in fall of some sort. 

 

It was then that Jensen’s anger deflated and he truly felt like an ass. Picking himself up off the sand, he turned towards Jared, face pulled down into a pout. “I’m sorry. This is just- its weird for me okay? I never expected to see you again, let alone find out you’re like the best of buddies with them.” Jensen cast a look at the water where Jason was currently carving up a wave while Chris and Steve watched. Shrugging his shoulders, Jensen let his hands fall to his sides, waiting to see what reaction he would get.

 

Jared’s mask slipped as he nodded his head in acceptance. “How do you think I felt? Finding out the guy I just hooked up with is friends with my employer!” At Jensen’s puzzled expression, Jared allowed a small smile to peek through. He laughed lightly as he said, “Yeah. I tend bar at Steve’s restaurant. Hell, I wait tables with Jason! Kinda awkward when I find out you are their long lost college buddy I hear so many stories about.”

 

Jensen recalled Jared’s confused expression as he sat alone at the bar and couldn’t even imagine what he’d thought then. Nodding his head, he looked up and met Jared’s eyes, holding it as he spoke. “It’s a weird situation, but like it or not this is what we have” He pondered his next words carefully, remembering what Chris said about them getting along. Then he held out his hand. “I’d like to put this behind us. Start fresh, if your cool with that.”

 

Jared grabbed his hand and pumped it enthusiastically, a deep laugh erupting from his chest. “Yeah, that sounds good. Would hate to make the tourist feel unwelcome.” There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he spoke.

 

“All right then. I’m Jensen, from Seattle. Pediatric specialist and wanna-be singer. And I never use my rockstar status to get hook-ups.” He grinned widely at Jared’s continued belly laugh. 

 

“I’m Jared, island boy, though I originally hail from Texas. Bartender and surf instructor to land lubbing tourists. And I’ve never hooked-up with anyone famous before.” Jared flashed his dimples and Jensen was willing to forgive any transgressions if it meant he got to do this with Jared from now on. “Well now that we have that cleared up … can we get back to surfing?”

 

Jensen nodded and laid back down on the surf board. This time he let Jared help him, let Jared guide his legs so he was standing on the stringer, keeping his center of balance. After a few more tries, Jensen was able to do it himself and let out a whoop of triumph, high-fiving Jared as he hopped off the board.

 

They headed out into the ocean not long after that, Jensen sitting astride the board and floating, watching the others as they cut through the waves again and again. Jared encouraged him to try standing up when a small wave came around but Jensen, not wanting to temp fate any more, stayed where he was. As the sun was sinking closer to the horizon, they all started to paddle in, looking forward to a few beers and whatever food Jared had in his fridge. Jensen counted it a good day when he navigated his board back to the shore with out wiping out.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Saturday afternoon rolled around and found Jensen and Chris and two carts full of food standing stumped in the chip aisle of the Island Grocery. Chris had his cell phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, one hand holding up a jar of salsa, the other holding Steve’s list. Jensen leaned his elbows on the cart and watched the exchange with a smile on his face, wandering if he would ever be like that one day. If he would ever be that happy and completely in love, if he would call someone in the grocery store and bicker over the number of jars of salsa to buy or the number of rolls of toilet paper they were sure to need if they insisted on spicy island food for the main course. Wandered if anyone would ever make him that happy and when would they came along in his life.

 

Jared’s face immediately drifted into his mind and Jensen shoved it away with a quick shake of his head. He was getting way ahead of himself. Sure, he and Jared had got along quite well after they got over their awkwardness. They’d had a good time Wednesday, spending the day surfing and the night drinking and laughing. But he still knew next to nothing about the guy, hadn’t talked to him since they’d said good-bye Wednesday’s night. Yeah, definitely jumping the gun.

 

Finally after fifteen minutes Chris settled on Steve’s allotted number of jars, muttering that he would make Steve eat every last bit of it if they had leftover, before they were moving on to the next aisle. Liquor. There would be no arguments there from Chris, Jensen mused as they puttered along.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Chris and Steve and Jason’s summer parties were the best, or at least that’s what Jensen could gather from the people mulling around. The back patio was lit up with tiki torches and paper lanterns, the stereo blasting through the open patio doors. Coolers filled with sodas and beer lined the edge of the patio while the table was laden with food ranging from jerk chicken to fruit kabobs, from chips and pretzels to key lime pie. 

 

To say Jensen was a little uncomfortable was an understatement. He knew next to no one, though he chatted with whoever came up to him. A few girls invited him to dance, which he obliged, but mostly he stuck close to what had become his favorite chair out on the patio, an old blue rocking chair with chipping paint and oily sunscreen stains, sipping his beer and watching the crowds.

 

By midnight the party was starting to slow down, only couples dancing in the sand to decidedly more intimate music. Jason had started a bonfire down closer to the water where he sat with his guitar, entertaining a small crowd. That’s when Jensen finally saw Jared, white dress shirt unbuttoned halfway down, sleeves rolled up to the crook of his elbow, dark black slacks hugging all the right parts. He’d kicked off his shoes somewhere in the house and was walking around barefoot, the cuff of his pants turned up so they wouldn’t drag. He sauntered over to Jensen, beer in hand, and sat down next to him with a smile. Something in Jensen’s chest finally eased.

 

By one o’clock the party had dwindled considerably and moved down the beach to the bonfire. Only fifteen or so people remained, sitting on driftwood logs or cross-legged in the sand. Chris and Steve had bought out their guitars, chastised Jensen into joining as they sang through some old songs.

 

Two o’clock had clouds moving in from over the water, lightning bolts dancing back and forth between them, but Jensen paid them no mind. He was sitting on a driftwood log, legs spread out to accommodate room for Jared who was sitting in front of him. He held Jensen’s guitar in his lap, fingers trying and failing to make anything that sounded like music.

 

With a chuckle, Jensen slid his arms over Jared’s, positioning his fingers for a chord, then guided his hand down to strum over the strings. Jared turned and grinned at him, dimples deep as the grand canyon. “Show me another?” he whispered. So Jensen obliged, resting his chin on Jared’s shoulder as he guided him through a few notes, then let Jared play them by himself.

 

Once the fire died down, they headed back up to the house to see most, if not all, of the party guests had departed. Jensen just shrugged as he put his guitar away and came back out with two more beers for them. He and Jared sat in the sand a few feet off the edge of the patio talking, inebriated lips loose and willing to share. Jensen felt himself leaning into Jared as he told some story about his first week down on the island, but the words got lost somewhere in the space between them. The only thing Jensen could concentrate on was the way Jared’s lips moved, the way his eyes danced when he laughed, or the way his pulse in his neck throbbed when he saw Jensen watching him. Jared was simply intoxicating. And before he was aware of it, his lips were descending on Jared’s.

 

That’s when the first raindrop fell, plunking Jensen directly on top of his head. The next fell, catching in Jared’s eyelash as they fluttered when their lips pulled apart. They fell in quicker succession, rapidly picking up their pace and intensity until it was pouring with in a matter of seconds.

 

Jensen yelped and jumped up, running for the house. Hauling open the patio door that led into his room, Jensen stepped inside and headed straight for the bathroom and a towel. It wasn’t until he was walking back out, running a towel over his head that he realized Jared hadn’t followed him in. In fact, Jared was in the same spot they had been; sitting, arms crooked behind him in the sand, head thrown back, eyes closed as the drops splashed down across his skin.

 

“Jared, what are you doing. You’re soaked!” Jensen stepped to the edge of the doorway, towel still in hand as he watched a blissful smile spread across Jared’s face. He didn’t move from his position, didn’t even acknowledge Jensen’s presence, or lack of it.

 

Jensen hated rain. It was a simple fact when he lived in a city that saw more rain clouds than sunshine. It was cold and soaked through his clothes making them harder to get off. It was a nuisance and something Jensen thought he could go without. But the way Jared looked in it now, the way it sucked his clothes to his body, rolling down his skin in twining rivers, Jensen couldn’t help but be enticed. Towel long forgotten on the floor by the bed, Jensen stepped out, drawn to Jared like a moth to a flame. 

 

It was cooler than he imagined it would be, but not as cold as Seattle’s icy droplets. He still wasn’t fully feeling the appeal of it, though he could clearly see it, the way it beaded up off Jared’s skin, rolling down and catching with another, the way it plastered his hair to his face making him look more like a child than a man.

 

Coming to a stop next to Jared side, Jensen dropped heavily to his knees like a desperate, dying man. Knees pressing to Jared’s hip, he watched as Jared smiled wider, ever teasing.

 

“There’s just something sexy about it,” Jared whispered as he cracked an eye open, looking up at Jensen with unabashed lust. “I love how it feels on my skin. Like a thousand tiny kisses.”

 

Jensen shivered once before he let got of his inhibitions. He pulled Jared to him, hands on the sides of the younger man’s face, and crushed their lips together. It was hunger and need and frantic as Jensen tried to draw from Jared like starving lungs drawing in precious air. It was too much, but oh not nearly enough.

 

He felt Jared’s hand anchor on his neck, warm and heavy and demanding as he rooted his fingers in Jensen’s hair. Growling, Jensen sunk his teeth into Jared’s lip before pulling it between his own, licking and suckling softly. Straddling one of Jared’s thighs, Jensen pressed his hips in closer, needing more contact, lips never ceasing their dance, and tongues their tangle. But it wasn’t enough, with Jared it would never be enough. 

 

With a great effort, Jensen pulled his lips away from Jared’s, forehead’s still pressed together. Jensen’s lips rested on Jared’s cheek as he panted, trying to draw in air as much as he was fighting down the urge to ride his desire to completion right here in the wet sand. The feeling of Jared’s hand tightening in his hair, the subtle shift of his hips as if begging for more, was all Jensen needed. Grabbing Jared’s wrist, he hauled the both upright and made a beeline for the house, tugging the younger man along behind him.

 

He was barely through the door before Jared was taking over, turning Jensen and all but shoving him back on the bed. Jensen bounced once before Jared’s weight was settling over him, eyes burning with a deep desire. Bodies aligned, Jared’s fingers worked quickly stripping them both, never pulling his mouth from Jensen’s. 

 

Then is was all skin on skin, overheated flesh and cool rain drops, and Jensen couldn’t help but arch up into Jared’s heat. Jared broke the kiss, his lips sliding along Jensen’s jaw before he started catching the tiny raindrops still sliding down Jensen’s neck. Each drop caught by a feather light touch of lips. Down his neck, across his chest, down his stomach. Every kiss igniting the fire within him anew until Jensen was writhing on the bed beneath Jared. 

 

Jensen’s hands fumbled blindly for Jared, wanting to bring him back up within reaching distance but Jared won’t be deterred, chasing the last raindrop down the crease of Jensen’s hip. He could feel Jared’s teeth graze lightly over his hip bone followed by a dozen soft kisses. Its almost enough to thrown Jensen right over the edge, but not yet. He wouldn’t give in yet.

 

Jared retraced his path back up Jensen’s body, tongue tracing over the line of his abs and over his chest, suckling his collarbones before they settle at the hollow of his throat. Jensen’s fingers sunk deep into Jared’s wet tresses, finger gliding, anchoring as he searched for more pressure, anything to relieve this ache Jared’s created inside him. But only Jared can bring him down when he’s good and ready.

 

It was never a conscious decision, just bodies following the flow. It was all Jared, his lips, his hands, everywhere, over everything. Jared’s fingers working him open as his lips worked on driving Jensen crazy, fluttering over his pulse, nibbling his ear, tugging on his bottom lip. Then Jared was sliding home and Jensen could do nothing but sigh at how right it felt. It didn’t take long before Jensen was panting moans, hands frantic as he tried to get around himself. But Jared beat him to it. Two pulls and Jensen was undone, murmuring Jared’s name in a mantra as he came. Jared stilled to watch, eyes burning, body thrumming, squeezed tight by Jensen. Then he slid home one last time with a gasp, coming himself.

 

Jared collapsed bonelessly on top of Jensen, head pillowed on Jensen’s chest while he fought to catch his breath. When Jared started to move, Jensen shook his head and locked his arms tighter around Jared’s waist. “Stay here tonight,” he murmured into Jared’s hair. There was no protest, just the rustling of the sheets sliding up over their bodies before Jensen slid blissfully into sleep.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Warm sunshine shone down on his face, filtering through his eyelids. That was the first feeling that seeped into his unconsciousness. That and the feeling of a warm body wrapped around him, legs tangled, arms around his waist, a head pillowed on his chest. Sucking in a deep breath, Jensen shifted slightly, turning his face away from the window; the body next to him never moved. Limbs relaxed and mind blissfully empty, Jensen settled back in to sleep.

 

He heard the door creak open a moment later, but couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes to see who it was. At least until he heard a quiet snort of laughter followed by a murmur of indecipherable words. Jensen snapped his eyes open to see Chris and Steve standing in the door way, grinning like the idiots they were. Jason’s head popped between them for a moment, giving Jensen thumbs up. He scowled and lifted his arm up enough to give them the finger before he purposefully pulled Jared closer; burying his nose in the younger man’s hair, he closed his eyes.

 

He heard them laugh once more before the door closed with a quiet snick. With the room still and silent once more, Jensen could hear Jared breathing, feel the warm exhalations on his bare chest. He could feel each and every bare inch of Jared’s body pressed against his own equally naked side and couldn’t believe how right it felt.

 

Jensen wasn’t normally this free with his emotions, never jumped into bed with someone just because it felt right at the time. He wasn’t a snuggler either, usually hated the constriction of someone else wrapped around him. But Jared … well there was just something about him that made Jensen helpless to do anything but fall in love with him.

 

Love. He felt his pulse quicken, stomach twist excitedly at the thought. He’d waited for so long to find it, he guessed that some where along the way he’d just given up. And here it had fallen in his lap, a 6 foot forever, Texan bred, fun in the sun island boy.

 

And he would have to leave him.

 

Swallowing down the sudden discomfort that thought brought, Jensen slowly, and ever so carefully, detangled his limbs from Jared’s, hoping he wouldn’t wake up. The younger man groaned at the sudden intrusion of sunshine on his face, but quickly rolled over and settled once again. Jensen waited another minute, unsure if he wanted Jared to wake up or not until Jared cracked and eye open and stared at him, a frown marring his sleep rumpled face. 

 

Jensen smiled at that, leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss as he whispered, “Go back to sleep, sunshine.” He stayed right where he was until Jared nodded sleepily, then closed his eyes slipping back into slumber.

 

Yeah, Jensen was so screwed.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo


	3. Chapter 3

[](http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x220/csigurl13/?action=view&current=oovbanner.jpg)

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Three days later Jared came over in his Jeep at 8am, two rowdy dogs in the back seat. He jumped out and bound up the stairs, knocking once on the door before walking straight in. “Jen?” he called out as he walked into the living room. Jason was standing in the kitchen fresh out of bed in only boxers and a t-shirt, eating a bowl of cereal, looking for all the world like he would rip off your face if provoked. Nodding in his in Jason’s direction with a small “Hey, J” Jared ducked his head and quickly crossed the floor to Jensen’s room.

 

With a knock, he stepped through the door. Jensen was standing in the bathroom bushing his teeth clad in nothing but khaki shorts. Jared grinned to himself as he flopped down on Jensen’s bed, just closing his eyes and listening to the sounds of Jensen moving around. A few minutes later, the bed dipped by his side as two minty-cool lips were pressing against his own. Cracking his eyes open, Jared smiled into the kiss, bringing his hand up to fist in the threadbare t-shirt now adoring Jensen’s body.

 

“Well, that was definitely the most enthusiastic greeting I’ve gotten here so far,” Jared quipped once their lips had parted. Sitting up from the bed he watched as Jensen rummaged around in a drawer for a minute. “You almost ready? The dogs are waiting in the Jeep.”

 

Jensen nodded, pulling out his camera before they headed back out the living room. Steve was down there now, sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up his forearms as he fixed a cup of coffee. Chris was standing in Jason’s spot, fully dressed in work overalls, haired tied back away from his face, nursing a cup of coffee with a slightly more approachable expression. Jason was no where in sight but the sounds of the shower upstairs clued them in to his whereabouts. 

 

After downing a cup of coffee, Jensen and Jared were climbing back into Jared’s Jeep and heading back up the coast. Following Ocean View to Stringer Heights up to Palm Ave, they finally hit the denser part of the island with more trees and less ocean. The dogs seemed to know where they were going, barking excitedly and snuffling against Jensen’s shoulder the closer they got to their destination.

 

Finally Jared pulled the Jeep over to the side of the road, if it could be called that. A small path wound its way through the undergrowth, a small wooden marking claiming it ‘Outlook Point’. Jared grinned as he climbed out, letting the dogs out and watching as they raced off up the path. Jensen followed suit, walking side by side with Jared as they wound their way up the small cliff face.

 

The thick palms and tall grass eventually gave way to a clearing at the top of the cliff face. A few large boulders sat under the shade of a large palm, some wildflowers grew in clumps of wispy grass, and out beyond, a few hundred feet below them, the crystal blue ocean stretched out to meet the horizon even as it relentlessly pounded the soft white sands on the shore. It was here they settled down, the dogs stretching out to lie in a pool of sunlight as Jensen and Jared seated themselves on the sandy ground near the boulders. Enveloped in the tranquility of the nature around them, a comfortable silence reigned for a while until Jensen turned his curious eyes upon Jared.

 

“When did you come to the island, Jay? I’ve never heard you talk about it.” In the short span of time that he’d know Jared, Jensen had never once heard him mention where he had come from or about family members or even how long he had been down in the islands. Chris and Steve had never acknowledged his questions and Jason just looked uncomfortable before hastily changing the subject. He knew Jared would tell him when he was ready, but he couldn’t help the way he was drawn to the man, making him want to know each and every secret he ever held.

 

Jared shifted, stretching out his legs as he leaned back against one of the boulders. With eyes still shaded by sunglasses, he looked up at the tree tops, never meeting Jensen’s gaze as he spoke. “The first time? Would’ve been about six or seven years ago. Came down to the islands with a few friends for spring break my senior year.”

 

A small smile graced his lips, warm with memories. “It was love at first sight, man. I didn’t want to leave. And we’d only been here a few days, seen only the tourist attractions, not the real beauty like this.” He vaguely motioned to the area around them.

 

“My mom had passed on when I was small, bought six or seven I think. She was pretty sick, don’t really remember all the details. My dad was pretty wrecked but he had to take care of me so he kept it all together. Dreamed of me being an architect like him, helped me pick out schools and everything. Nothing was too good.” Jared’s smiled dimmed just a bit as he spoke. “He passed on a few weeks after my graduation, hit by car crossing over to one of his construction sites.” Shaking his head, Jared swallowed convulsively.

 

“My dad’s will stipulated that I couldn’t get my inheritance until I was twenty, leaving my grandparent’s in charge of everything until then. They moved down to stay with me, help me out, ya know?” He finally turned his head to look at Jensen and though he couldn’t see the man’s eyes, Jensen had a strong suspicion they were swimming with tears. He nodded slightly, acknowledging Jared and encouraging him on.

 

“It was okay at first, until it was time for me to go to school. I didn’t want to go, but they were insistent that I not change my plans. Said that this was what my dad wanted for me and he’d be disappointed if I didn’t stick with it. I thought they might be right so I headed out to the college in New York I’d been accepted to.

 

“I stayed a semester, made some friends that weren’t exactly on the right side of the law, got involved with some pretty scary shit.” Jared looked away, back up to examination of the trees, but Jensen could see the tear that trailed across his temple, disappearing into his hair. He ached to reach out but afraid at the same time. So he settled for leaning closer to Jared, shoulders and thighs brushing.

 

“Got myself kicked out after that first semester, headed back to Texas with my tail between my legs. My grandparents were furious, even tried to use my dad’s money to get me back in, but I didn’t want to go. So I packed up my shit, anything I could fit into two suitcases and a duffle, then sent the rest to storage. Cleared out my bank account and bought myself a one way ticket back here.”

 

This time Jared drew a hand across his cheek to wipe away the tears that slipped down, eyes firmly fixed on the horizon before him like it was a life line. “I stayed in a shitty motel for the first few months, worked wherever I could. That’s how I met Jason, tending bar at Joe’s.” A smile quirked up one corner of his lips at the mention of his friend. “They took me in, when the house was still in near shambles, let me stay with them for about a year until I got my inheritance and my feet under me. Then I moved out to my house, helped Steve buy his restaurant, helped Chris pay off the garage, made sure Jason had enough to cover his first year of tuition. My thanks to them, I guess you could say.

 

“It wasn’t like we were hurtin’ for money, when I was growing up. My dad was a good architect so he kept us well looked after. My inheritance was enough to last me into my 60s living comfortably if I had wanted. But it was my dad’s money, ya know? Didn’t want to blow it so I did what my dad would have done, used it to help others. Kept some in the bank for reassurance, invested a good chunk of it, donated the rest.” Jared shrugged like it was no big deal even though Jensen could clearly see how proud he was of his actions. “Then I got a job, earned my money the way my dad had taught me. I might not be an architect, but then again I think that was always his dream, not mine; but I like to think he’d be happy with what I’ve done.” The last was whispered, voice vulnerable as Jared turned to Jensen seeking affirmation.

 

Jensen nodded, a tiny smile on his face. He wanted to reach out and hug Jared, tell him how sorry he was, but he could see that Jared was passed needing pity and sympathy. He’d done well on his own, was still standing on his own two feet. Who wouldn’t be proud of him?

 

“Me and my grandparents stopped talking after I got my inheritance. Guess they thought I was just gonna blow through my dad’s money and they didn’t want to be witnesses to that. I sent them a good portion of the money but they still haven’t cashed the check. Can’t really blame them I guess, I wouldn’t, didn’t, want it either.” Jared shrugged his shoulders, fingers idly picking at the grass near his hip before looking up at Jensen. “What about you? I mean, what got you here to today?”

 

Jensen contemplated that for a moment, wandering just where to start and how to explain everything, his passion, his devotion, clearly. “Well, guess you know Chris, Steve, Jason, and I have been friends for a good while. We hung out in high school together, met them when I moved next door to Chris when I was a freshman. It was just history after that I guess, I was already friends with Jason, Chris was on again, off again with Steve. We just meshed.

 

“We all went to the same college too. Though I guess you probably knew that too.” Jensen smirked to himself recalling the picture on the center of the mantle back at the house. “Man could Chris and Steve get us in some trouble!” He laughed, remembering all the pranks and drinking games and dares they’d played that first year and a half. “I wanted to a physical therapist at the time, thought it sounded pretty cool, though I was more focused on partying and chasing our dreams of making it famous that I was on school. We’d play more bars a week than I attended classes sometimes. But I made it through okay.

 

“Then in the middle of my sophomore year my advisor talked me into volunteering some time at the hospital, said it would look good on paper. I figured if I could get out of class for it, it was most definitely for me.” Jensen grinned at Jared, eyes sparkling with a remembered teenager’s mischief. “They put me up on the adult floor at first, just sitting with patients who didn’t have families and stuff. Then one day they asked me to go cover on the Ped’s floor. I still remember it, ya know? As clear as day.

 

“There was this little girl, Brianna, sitting in a wheelchair in the playroom. She wasn’t doing anything, just staring out the window with this sad look on her face. I took her outside for a walk, sat with her through lunch, waited around with her while she had a few tests done, ate dinner with her. Hell, I even stayed with her until she fell asleep that night. She didn’t have any family to come visit her, only an aunt who was admitted up in the ICU, terminally ill. And this little girl had just been diagnosed with leukemia.”

 

Jensen swallowed roughly around the lump in his throat at the memory. “It was too far along, there weren’t any family members to be donors, no one in the donor bank a close enough match. It was heart-breaking. Here was this little girl, only 9 years old and already dying.” Shaking his head, Jensen took a deep breath to focus himself once again. “I went home that night and researched any and every available treatment option but there was nothing they hadn’t already tried. I visited her every day for two weeks. Then one day I went up to her room and it was empty. She had died in the middle of the night.”

 

Jared’s hand wrapped around his own and squeezed gently. Jensen smiled his thanks, wiping away a stray tear. “I stormed back to the dorm, ranting and raving to Chris and Steve about how it was unfair, how I was wasting my life when I could be saving people, helping people. They thought it was just a phase I guess because they looked at me like I was crazy when I changed my major mid-semester.

 

“That was the day I hung up my dreams of being a singer and put the guitar away. I stopped going to bars and started attending double classes so I could catch up. Summer school too. Man they thought I was nuts!” Jensen barked out a watery laugh, remembering how they had tried to talk him down, told him he had time. But Jensen hadn’t listened. “And I never looked back. I stayed doubling up on any classes I could, had an internship at the hospital, did what I had to do.

 

“I got the job in Seattle three years ago, started out from the bottom and worked my way up to being the head Pediatric specialist at the hospital. I think I’ve worked more than I’ve slept in the passed couple years but I don’t regret it. It’s worth it every time I help out a kid, every time I get to tell their parents that they are going to be okay.”

 

Jared nodded his understanding, could see how much Jensen cared about his work. “Things got a little stressful recently though. There was talk of changing department heads and I was in the running for it. More paperwork, more responsibility, but I would have more control regarding treatments and needed equipment. Then I lost a few of my younger patients. It just became too much. Chris talked me into taking a long vacation, told me to step back and get my priorities straight again and get a tan while I was at it.” Jensen laughed again, scrubbing a hand over his face, declaring his sharing part over. 

 

Jared just murmured out a laugh as he stretched back against the boulder, wrapping one arm around Jensen’s shoulder as he closed his eyes. Jensen leaned into the embrace, resting his head on the younger man’s shoulder for a few minutes until the tension eased out of his body and the dark images fled from his mind.

 

He spent the next hour taking pictures of the scenery around them as they slowly made their way back down the trail. At the foot of the cliff, something caught Jared’s eye and he wandered off for a moment. When he came back, he leaned in close to Jensen, sliding something smooth and cool into his palm before he whispered “From one heart to another” in his ear. Then he was moving back and rounding up the dogs as if nothing had ever happened.

 

Jensen looked down into his hand and found a palm sized rock in the shape of a heart, the white surface worn down to a smooth finish. He was tempted to laugh, to call Jared a girl and toss the rock to the side. But there was just … something so much more meaningful to it. And the more he looked at it, the more he couldn’t stand the thought of parting with it. Slipping it into his pocket, he turned and gave Jared what felt like a loopy, love-sick grin as he climbed into the Jeep.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

For two o’clock on a Tuesday, Sugar Kane was actually pretty busy. Or at least that’s what Jensen thought as he sauntered back to the bar where Jared was busy mixing drinks. Kaleidoscope eyes glanced up to meet his behind a fringe of dark hair, a hint of a dimpled smile playing at the his mouth as Jared placed the drinks on a tray and waved a waitress over. Once she had walked away, Jensen took a seat in one of the tall leather chairs and grinned at Jared.

 

“Hey you,” Jared murmured as he uncapped a beer and placed it on a coaster in front of Jared. He leaned over enough to brush their fingers together before he was back to work, moving over to the other end of the bar to take another order.

 

Sipping his beer, Jensen peered over at the only other patrons sitting at the bar, an older couple. Tourists. Jensen had learned to spot them a mile away with their starchly pressed pants and bright red sunburned faces. They smelled of sunscreen and too much cologne or perfume, had cameras hanging around their necks or packs around their waists. 

 

It was comical to Jensen now as he watched Jared politely chat up the older man, then turned and gave Jensen an annoyed look as he picked up a bottle of vodka. Jensen hid his snickers behind the mouth of his beer bottle and waited until Jared came back before he truly laughed out loud.

 

“Dude, he still had sunscreen on his nose!” Jared whispered, his eyes wide with exasperation. Shaking his head, Jared flashed Jensen a grin. “This is prime time for tourists heading off the beach, what are you doing here?”

 

“Oh you know, passing through.” Jensen took a sip of his beer and leaned casually against the bar. “Gotta guy that works around here, ya know? Thought I’d drop in an see him.” Jared blushed a bit at that. “But … turns out he was too busy to chat so I ended up here.”

 

Jared snorted out a laugh, smacking Jensen on the shoulder as he cried out, “Jerk!” a little too loud. A few patrons turned his way, but Jared was laughing too hard to notice. Jensen just grinned.

 

“Jared, stop flirting with non-paying customers.” Both whipped their heads over to see Steve leaning casually against the doorway to the kitchen, a cheeky grin spread across his face. Jared stuck his tongue out at his boss, but Jensen smirked.

 

“I am a paying customer.” When Steve just quirked his eyebrow, Jensen leaned over the counter and planted a rather noisy, rather wet kiss smack on Jared’s lips before he slipped a twenty into Jared’s shirt pocket. “See ya later, Sunshine.” Then Jensen was heading out of the bar with a smirk on his lips, not bothering to look back at his two friends, already knowing what their expressions would be.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

A week went by. A week of hanging with one of the guys during the day, relaxing on the beach or trying to surf, of playing guitars and singing songs and drinking way too much beer. It was a week of spending nights with Jared sitting on the patio talking, watching the stars and the waves, a week of intimate dinners and even more intimate time in the bedroom. A week of putting up with the guys’ ribbing, of blushing every time he walked out of his bedroom with Jared in tow. A week of doing nothing but enjoying the present; worry free and happy as can be.

 

Jared came bounding in the house that next Tuesday, grinning from ear to ear as he shouted for Jensen. Waving a brochure frantically, he came up and all but fell into Jensen’s lap where he was sitting. Only the guitar in Jensen’s lap stopped Jared in his tracks and with a blush he seated himself on the sandy bricks.

 

“What’s up, Jay?” Jensen set the guitar on the ground next to his chair and leaned down to give Jared a kiss on his temple.

 

“I found the perfect thing for us to do today. Look.” He passed Jen the brochure with a sheepish grin, his eyes full of excitement.

 

Jensen flipped through the brochure for a minute, chewing his lip, before he looked down at Jared. “Parasailing? You sure?” At Jared’s enthusiastic nod, Jensen looked down at the pictures again. “Isn’t it kinda touristy?” When Jared’s face started to pull down into a pout Jensen couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, all right. We’ll go. But you are so buying me dinner after it.”

 

“Yes!” Jared jumped up and scooped Jensen into a bear hug, placing noisy wet kisses all over his face. “You’re the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

 

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Jensen laughed as he tried to shove Jared off him. “You keep slobbering like that and I’ll change my mind, sunshine.” Jared immediately backed off, though he was still grinning. Whether it was from the use of his new nickname or because Jensen had agreed to go parasailing, he wasn’t sure. One thing he was sure of though, he loved to see that smile on Jared’s face.

 

Giving the younger man a good natured shoulder bump, Jensen got out of the chair and picked up the guitar. “Well, I suppose we should get going,” before he headed back inside the house, Jared following closely on his heels like a loyal, hyper puppy.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Jensen couldn’t deny that parasailing had been a good idea. Actually, he thought it had been a fantastic idea. Just he and Jared alone, soaring above the water as the sun began its descent below the horizon. The way the red sun set the cloudless sky on fire with oranges and pink, the colors bleeding into the ocean, stretched out and rippling. It had been an amazing sight to behold. Jensen only wished he’d had his camera with him. But there was no doubt that is one scene that would forever be imprinted on his memory.

 

As they walked back up the beach towards the boardwalk, Jared laughed and chattered. A funny story about the time he and a buddy had gone parasailing and ended up falling in the water. About all the great places to eat on the boardwalk. About all the nature trails up on South Point that they had to go hike because Jensen would surely get some great pictures there. About anything and everything and nothing at all. Jensen just nodded along, letting the sound of Jared’s voice, a hint of Texan twang mixed with the island’s lazy tongue warring back and forth, drown out all other sounds.

 

When they reached the boardwalk, they found themselves in front of the ‘Sugar Kane’ restaurant. Jensen couldn’t help but laugh as they walked up to it. Leave it to Steve to give his restaurant such a bizarre, yet personal name. Jason waited on them and Steve came out of the kitchen halfway through their meal to chat them up. Jared complained that the food was too expensive and twenty minutes later Jason showed up with two large pieces of black-tie cheesecake, telling them it was “on the house, compliments of the owner”. Jared grinned and dug in. Jensen thought Jared got off way too easy.

 

After dinner, they walked the boardwalk, easing in and out of the crowds, holding hands. Once they reached the end with the games though, the romantic, easy stroll was over. Jared all but drug Jensen over to the first of many games. Balloon pops, ring and ball tosses, crane games, water racing, you name it, Jared wanted and did play it. He talked Jensen into a playing the ball toss where he won a foot tall stuff koala bear with magnetic arms. Jared laughed and wrapped the bears around Jensen’s arm before he drug him off to the next game.

 

Jared played the basketball toss and won a small tiger for his efforts. He grinned as he turned the tiger to face Jensen and said ‘meet little Jen’. Jensen laughed and wiggled his arm, which still held the clinging koala and said, “Then this must be little Jay.” Jared just laughed and drug Jensen off in search of ice cream and funnel cake because according to him, no trip to the boardwalk was complete without it.

 

As they were heading back to the parking lot, they passed a photo booth. Jensen just groaned in protest, the only thing he had energy left for, at the way Jared’s eyes lit up.

 

“Please, Jen? It’ll be quick I promise!” But Jared never even waited for an answer as he grabbed Jensen’s wrist and all but drug him over to the booth. Jensen couldn’t help but laugh and follow along. It was either that or risk losing his arm in the process.

 

They ducked behind the curtain, taking a minute to try and situate themselves on the too small bench. Finally Jensen settled for sitting half on the bench and half on Jared’s lap. The first one, upon Jared’s insistence, was nice. For the second, they both leaned in at the same time, faces banging together. The camera clicked just as Jensen leaned back laughing hysterically. The third was nothing but goofy, Jared giving him bunny ears while he made an awkward shocked face. Jensen though they were done and turned to head out but Jared just pulled him into a hug as the flash went off. He sat for a minute, confused, before he started laughing again, climbing over Jared’s lap to get out of the booth. Snagging up their two photo strips, Jensen looped an arm around Jared’s waist and pulled him to the parking lot. “No more candy for you,” he jokingly muttered under his breath. Jared just laughed all the way to the car.

 

By the time they arrived back at the house, Jared could barely keep his eyes open. Jensen just gave him a small smile, enjoying the cute, sleepy side of Jared as he helped him out of the passenger seat and into the house. Jared stripped down, barely aware of what he was doing before he fell into bed, one arm reaching for Jensen as he laid down. Pulling the covers over them, Jensen pulled Jared close and gave him a quick kiss good night before turning out the light.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo


	4. Chapter 4

[](http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x220/csigurl13/?action=view&current=oovbanner.jpg)

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

“Morning sunshine.”

 

Jensen cracked open his eyes and looked up at a sleep rumbled Jared leaning over him. He gave a lazy smile and stretched his body before rolling over and snuggling up closer to Jared’s warm body. Jared gave a rumbling laugh and leaned in to give place a chaste kiss on Jensen’s temple.

 

“Isn’t that my line?” Jensen murmured as the scent of coffee filtered in the room.

 

“Yeah. But you’re the one that’s normally up before me, waiting with coffee.” Jared gave him another quick kiss before rolling out of the bed. Jensen groaned in protest, but managed to crack his eyes open again, seeing that Jared was already dressed in last night’s jeans. “Guess its my turn to be the responsible adult today. Besides, I thought we could go surfing at my place today.” He said as he headed out to the kitchen.

 

Fifteen minutes later Jensen came out dressed in shorts, hair still damp from the shower. He smiled appreciatively when Jared handed him a mug of fresh coffee and pointed to the plate of eggs and bacon sitting on the breakfast bar. He kissed Jared, then dug into his breakfast with gusto.

 

Two hours later found them laying back on their surfboards. The sky above them a cloudless cerulean blue, the water below them calm and clear. They’d paddled out knowing that they wouldn’t be catching any waves until the tide came in around noon. But it was nice all the same, gave them time to relax and talk. Talk about what Jensen wasn’t sure, but it’s what Jared wanted to do so he went along with it without complaint.

 

He rolled his head and looked over at Jared. The younger man had been quite and subdued all morning. It was quite obvious something was on his mind, but Jensen knew it would come out sooner or later; Jared never kept things bottled up for long. There were lines around his eyes Jensen couldn’t remember seeing there, his bottom lip worried between his teeth, eyebrows knit together in a frown. But the minute he felt Jensen’s gaze on him, Jared turned and gave him a blinding smile that almost reached his eyes. Whatever it was Jared wanted to talk about, it couldn’t be anything good.

 

“Hey, Jen,” Jared whispered a few minutes later.

 

Jensen rolled his head to look at Jared again, but his gaze was firmly fixed on the sky above them, face pensive. “Yeah, Jay?”

 

“What’s gonna happen next week?”

 

Jensen let the silence fall between them for a moment. He’d tried not to think about it, tried to keep himself firmly rooted in the present for the passed three weeks. But now there was no denying that his vacation was almost up. He was due back in Seattle.

 

“I fly back home,” he answered with all the confidence he could muster. Yeah, he loved the island, loved being with his friends in the laid back atmosphere. He loved spending time with Jay and laying in the sun until it got too hot or the waves too irresistible. He loved waking up whenever he wanted and spending long nights out in the town or playing at the bar with the guys. 

 

But it was all an illusion, a dream, one he couldn’t have. Because back in the real world, Jensen had a job where he was needed and patients that counted on him. Sure it sucked going back to his lonely apartment and working graveyard shifts on the weekends, but its what he had to do. He couldn’t be like Joe or Jared or hell, even Chris and Steve and Jason. He couldn’t just up and leave his responsibilities on a whim. He couldn’t just give up structure and years of schooling and fighting tooth and nail for his position just because he’d fallen in love the place.

 

“Right.” Jared went quiet again for a moment, but Jensen could tell it was a loaded silence. There was more he had to say. “What about us?” 

 

Jensen hated the vulnerable tone in Jared’s voice, hated that he was the reason it was there. But he hated even more that he wasn’t sure what the answer was. There was no denying his deep affection for the younger man; Chris was right, he did get under your skin, in a good way, after a while. But at the same time, Jensen couldn’t give up everything he ever worked for for what might turn out to a summer fling. Would Jared still feel the same way about him in six months? A year? Six years? 

 

“I honestly don’t know, Jay.” He reached out and snagged Jared’s hand out of the water, pulling their bodies so they were side by side, shoulder’s brushing. Looking in Jared’s eyes, Jensen smiled. “Let’s just enjoy what time we have now and worry about everything else when it gets here.”

 

It didn’t take away the sadness in Jared’s eyes, didn’t smooth the frown away from his brow, didn’t convince Jared one bit that things would work out for them. But he gave Jensen a small smile all the same. “Okay.”

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

That night they stayed on the beach, laying on a blanket underneath a clear, cloudless sky. Bodies still wet from their latest swim, they tangled together in mass of limbs and desperate need. Sand stuck to Jared’s legs but he found he just couldn’t care once Jensen finally slid inside, lips working the back of Jared’s neck as he thrust in. It was a little rough and more than a little angry, but Jared met every thrust of Jensen’s with one of his own, slamming his hips back, wet skin slapping wet skin.

 

Half way through Jensen pulled out, his lips murmuring apologies against Jared’s skin as he gently turned him on his back. With tears in his eyes, their gazes met; no more apologies needed. When Jensen slid in this time it was sweet and loving, his lips moving against Jared’s neck whispering his name like a prayer, hands worshipping his body as they moved. Jared felt a tear slip out, disappearing into his hair. 

 

If Jensen tasted the salt when he kissed Jared’s temple as they came together, he never said a thing. Just pulled out and curled around Jared’s back like he would protect him the world and let sleep claim him. Jared just waited.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

The next afternoon found Jensen restless. He sat out on the patio in his chair, toes digging into the sand as he tried to read. After reading the same page ten times and not comprehending a word, he dropped the book in his chair, rolled up the legs of his jeans and headed down to the water. He walked up the shore and back down, kept walking until the sun had set and the sand had cooled beneath his feet.

 

He knew the reason for his agitation but was reluctantly to examine it. Before he had embarked upon this adventure, he had know what the outcome was going to be; he was going to go back home to Seattle after his vacation was up. He had thought he would have to fight off Chris and Steve and Jason wanting him to stay, and while he had no doubt that is what their wish was, it was Jared that was proving to be the hardest to detach from.

 

Jared with his deep golden tan, his ever-changing eyes, and his canyon deep dimpled smile. Jared with his belly laughs and obsession with sugar and canines. Jared with his low slung board shorts and grace in the water. Jared with his love of rain and too much rum and fumbling fingers on the guitar. Jared who wore flip-flops to fancy restaurants and jeans to bars, who’s accent was a perfect blend of deep Texan and easy island. Jared.

 

Jensen had never fallen for someone as hard and as fast as Jared. Never had the urge to just drop it all to be with him, to make him happy. And that. That scared the shit out of him. He had worked too hard and too long to get where he was, to ever give it up without it being ripped from his hands. But there you had it.

 

Chris had once told him, when he and Steve were on the rocks, that love was uncontrollable. It was a force of nature so powerful it could give you the highest of highs and drop you to the lowest of lows a second later. It would open you to things you never though possible and had you turning your back on everything you knew. It was something that thrilled you, fulfilled you, and thoroughly scared the shit out of you. And then, and only then, would you be scraping the surface of true love. At the time Jensen had thought it a poetic excuse for why he and Steve were at odds all the time.

 

Now, though, Jensen was beginning to think he was right.

 

Still more confused that satisfied, Jensen headed back up to the house, bypassing his friends and heading into his room. Grabbing up his guitar and his nearly full notebook, he drug his chair down to the water and settled in. He stayed there all night, fingers fumbling over the strings, mind scrambling to remember lines and chords as he hastily jotted them down. He played until he was too tired to do more than breath. Setting the guitar down by his feet, along with his notebook, Jensen leaned back and watched the moon play on the surface ocean, toes digging into the sand.

 

He woke the next morning with a stiff neck and quite a few bug bites, but he felt a little more settled and centered than he had in a long while. With a smile, he grabbed up his guitar and headed back to the house.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

By the time Saturday night rolled around, Jared seemed a little more like his normal self. He’s stayed over every night since they talked, got up early and made breakfast for Jensen, then whisked him off to another part of the island to hike or fish or shop. They’d even gone sailing, spent all day out on the water in a small sail boat, just the two of them. Some days they hung out with Chris or Steve or Jason, some times it was just the two of them alone. But each day Jared seemed to get a little better. The nights weren’t bad either, Jensen thought with a cheeky grin.

 

Tonight they were heading back to Joe’s to hear Chris and Steve play. Jared grabbed their drinks while Jensen headed over to where Jason was sitting, chatting up a pretty blonde. Two beers and three songs in, Jared grabbed Jensen’s hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

 

It was awkward for a moment or two until they found their rhythm. Jared had his arms looped around Jensen’s neck, while Jensen’s hands rested around Jared’s hips, their foreheads pressed together, swaying to the beat with Steve’s voice singing in the background.

 

We could do a rain dance

Sail away to the south of France

Set out to find more reasons for romance

But you and I both know

 

That at the end of the day

Or even when the day is new

There is always one thing

I can count on with you

Even if our plans don’t turn out

The way we thought they would

You make doin’ nothing feel so good.

 

Jensen sighed deeply as the truth of Steve’s words rung in his head. Hearing Jared’s breath hitch, Jensen looked up to see the faint glimmer of tears in their soft green depths. He started to ask if Jared was okay, but was cut off by the younger man’s lips pressing softly against his own. When he pulled away, he kept his eyes closed and whispered against his lips, “I love you.”

 

Jensen’s mouth fell open in shocked silence before a nervous chuckle escaped. The moment Jared’s eyes flew open, hurt clearly reflecting back at him, he wished he could take it back. Jared pulled back as the song ended, gave Jensen a sad smile as he started to walk back towards the bar. 

 

“Jay, wait. I’m sorry-“ but his apology was cut off with a wave of Jared’s hand.

 

“S’okay.” Jared cleared his throat and tried to reign in his emotions. It was a visible struggle but he did get a hold of himself. “I’m gonna grab another beer. You want one?”

 

Jensen just mutely shook his head no and watched as the younger man disappeared into the crowd. Sure, now his traitorous mouth stayed quiet. He hadn’t meant to laugh but it was a nervous reaction. Jared and love had been synonymous for him since the day after meeting Jared. But to actually hear Jared say it to him, well it was a little overwhelming.

 

Frustrated, Jensen slung himself into his chair. Didn’t even look up when Jason nudged a shot in his direction, just knocked it back and motioned for another one. By the time Chris and Steve were finished with their first set, Jensen was on his third round of berating himself over his stupid reaction and on his fifth round of beer and tequila chasers. Jared was still no where to be found.

 

When Chris mentioned something about his missing shadow, Jensen knocked back a double shot and pinned him with a glare, daring him to say something else. Chris, sensing danger, backed off quickly and didn’t approach Jensen again until he asked Jensen if he wanted one last foray on the stage twenty minutes later.

 

After a moment of hesitation, Jensen agreed. Might as well go out with a bang, right? He polished off his beer and headed backstage with Steve to get his guitar. Once he was tuned up and ready to go, he grabbed Steve’s arm to halt his exit.

 

“Can you do me a favor?” When Steve nodded, still a little wary after Jensen’s quiet moodiness before, Jensen continued. “I pissed Jay off before. Do you think you can go find him for me? There’s something I really need him to hear.”

 

Steve looked torn for a moment, between anger and determination, between aggravation and approval. Then finally he nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see what I can do.” He clapped Jensen on the back with a small smile before he headed back out to the bar.

 

Seating himself on the stool, Jensen gazed out at the audience. He watched as Steve settled Jared into a chair at their table. Jared didn’t look any happier, though he complied without much fuss. When he looked up at the stage and their eyes met, Jensen was taken back to all those weeks ago when they’d met, just like this. He kept his eyes locked on Jared’s as he smiled apologetically, then started to play.

 

I'm not afraid of lonely

I've gotten good at being that

Ain't seen nothin' that could hold me

Say good-bye and don't look back

 

Running, always ready

Feel as strong and steady

But you scare me

 

Took a long walk after midnight

Trying to make sense of it all

Tried to catch a glimpse of my old life

But your face was all I saw

 

Blue eyes staring through me

Baby, what are you doing to me

 

He watched the smile slowly stretch out over Jared’s lips as the song progressed. Deep down he’d hoped that the song would reach Jared, telling him what exactly he felt, had felt. And seeing that smile at the ending chord told him he’d achieved what he set out to do.

 

Later that night with tangled bodies and panted breaths, Jensen whispered his ‘I love you’s with more than just words.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

“Morning sunshine.” Jensen kissed Jared’s eyelids, feeling the faint flutter of eyelashes against his lips before he moved away. When Jared’s eyes cracked open, Jensen smiled quietly. “Hey, I have to leave soon.”

 

He saw the frown pulling Jared’s brown down and did his best to kiss it away. Running his lips over Jared’s skin, kissing each and every line until they eased out again. He could do nothing, however, about the sorrow in Jared’s eyes.

 

“We talked about this, Jay. I have to go back to Seattle.” He laid back down on the bed, pulling Jared’s resisting body close. “If it were that easy for me to lay aside my life, I would. In a heartbeat, Jay. I would stay here with you. But I can’t just shove aside all my responsibilities. I have patients that need me. Kids, Jay. Please, tell me you understand that. Tell me that you know I’m not running away from this. From us.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Jared murmured against Jensen’s chest. “But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

 

Jensen felt the tear soak through his shirt and looked down. Thumbs running along Jared’s cheek, he did his best to wipe them away. “I know. That’s why Steve is driving me to the airport. So we don’t have to do this twice.”

 

“Do what?” Jared asked, sitting up slightly.

 

“Say good-bye.” Jensen placed a chaste kiss on Jared’s lips before pulling him back down to lay by his side. If these were his last moments with Jared, he wanted to remember them as quiet and comfortable, like most of their moments had been. Jared sighed deeply and buried his face in Jensen chest. A few more tears fell silently, but they stopped before it could turn into something worse.

 

A few minutes later there was a soft knock on the door and Steve popped his head in. “Jen, we gotta get going. Sorry.” His voice was quiet and somber, like the weather outside. Then he was gone as quickly as he’d come.

 

Jensen looked down at Jared with a sad smile, drinking in the sight of the younger man; each and every mole burned into memory; the way his kaleidoscope eyes, ever changing, looked with tears in them; the way his bottom lip was full and pink from worrying it; and the way his floppy hair felt silky between his fingers. He would remember it all.

 

“Goodbye, Jay.”

 

Leaning down, he placed one last chaste kiss on Jared’s lips, before he quickly got out up and left the room. He didn’t stop moving until he was on the porch, leaning against the railing. Chris and Jason came out a minute later to say their good-byes while Steve packed Jensen’s luggage in the car.

 

It wasn’t until he was seated in the front seat, Steve starting to pull out of the driveway, that the clouds finally let go and the first rain drops fell on the windshield. Looking in the mirror, Jensen watched as Jared came out of the house, running down the front steps before coming to a halt at the end of the driveway. Jeans and bare chest getting soaked by the rain, hair dripping in his face. That’s how Jensen would remember him last.

 

Heaving a sigh, Jensen pulled his gaze away from the receding house and look out at the ocean.

 

“You okay?” Steve asked quietly.

 

Jensen just shrugged. He had to be.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Jared stood where he was in the driveway, letting yet another island storm soak him to the bone as his own despair washed over him. He didn’t move a muscle until Steve’s car was out of sight. That’s when the anger took over. Swiping a hand over his face to remove more than just the rain, Jared dug a hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out this truck keys. Chris and Jason’s protests where cut off with the slamming of his door and the gunning of the old Ford’s engine. He high-tailed it out there, heading in the opposite direction as Jensen. The irony of it all not lost on him.

 

Tears cascaded freely down his cheeks until he pulled to a stop in front of his house. He made a conscious effort to stop them as he hauled open the garage door and grabbed the first box in sight. Then slamming and banging his way into the house, Jared tried to eradicate every sign of Jensen. The stuffed tiger and numerous pictures where thrown into the box. Ticket stubs and receipts and brochures soon joined them. Anything and everything was tossed in without regard or second thought.

 

He hauled the box out to the garage and stood for ten minutes at the halfway point between the storage shelves and the garbage can in a debate. Knowing he would hate himself in time if he threw it all away, Jared folded up the flaps of the box and slid it as far back as he could reach onto the storage shelves in the rafters.

 

Wiping his dusty hands on is pants, and his tear streaked face on the nearest t-shirt, Jared headed back inside his house to curl up on the couch with his dogs wondering why he was stupid enough to fall for Jensen in the first place.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

It had rained all the way to the airport. Rained while he waited impatiently for his flight to board, tiny rain drops splattering against the window panes reminding him how they looked splattering against sun tanned skin. It rained all through his first flight on a small commuter jet that touched down in Florida. Hell, it was still raining when the plane finally touched down in Seattle. But then again, that shouldn’t be a surprise. It was always raining here. But he still couldn’t help but feel the whole world, and the weather, was mocking him.

 

With a sigh, Jensen headed outside with his luggage, hoping he wouldn’t have to wait too long to catch a taxi.

 

Welcome home, Jensen. Welcome home.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo


	5. Epilogue

  
Author's notes: 5 months later ...  


* * *

[](http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x220/csigurl13/?action=view&current=oovbanner.jpg)

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Epilogue: 5 months later

 

Jared sighed as he pulled down the last box from the rafters and dusted off the top. He didn’t know why he was doing this on Christmas Eve, but there you have it, the life of a single man. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do since he wasn’t supposed to meet up with everyone else until later that night at Sugar Kane. So he’d decided to get a head start on sorting through his stuff, seeing what needed to be taken to storage, what could be tossed away, what could be sold. One never realized how much they accumulated until they were packing up to move.

 

He thought it peculiar that this box was bereft of any writing considering all his other boxes were labeled. Thinking maybe it was a box left over from the previous owners of the house, Jared thought of setting it aside. But curiosity got the best of him as he cracked open the flaps.

 

A lump caught in his throat as the first thing his eyes encountered was a small stuffed tiger with piercing green eyes. Jared barked out a laugh even as he wiped a tear from his eye. Jensen. But funny thing that, he never remembered a string tired around its paw. Pulling the tiger out of the box and fingering the string lightly, Jared followed it until an enveloped popped out of the box. The edges were creased, the seams bulging with what it held. The writing on the front unmistakable.

 

Sliding his finger under the seal, Jared pulled out a single cassette tape. He grinned tightly at the label, Six Feet of Sunshine, as he turned it over in his hands. Try as he might, Jared knew he’d never seen this before and despite his urge to toss it back in the box, he found himself sliding it into the tape deck on his small workshop radio and pressing play.

 

‘Jay’ Jared swallowed thickly at the voice and sat heavily on the floor, chest constricting. ‘I know you may not understand, but please just listen anyway. Let this be my last gift you, Sunshine.’ There was a pregnant pause before he could hear a throat being cleared and the beginning chords of a guitar.

 

I see you leaning, you're bound to fall

I don't want to be that mistake

I'm just a dreamer and nothing more

You should know it before it gets too late

 

Cause goodbyes are like a roulette wheel

You never know where they're gonna land

First you're spinning, then you're standing still

Left holding a losing hand

But one day you're gonna find someone

And right away you'll know it's true

That all of your sinking's done

It's just a part of the passing through

Right there in that moment you'll finally understand

That I was better as a memory than as your man

 

By the time the tape clicked off, Jared was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to his chest, sobbing softly. The silence weighed heavily on his heart for a moment before he felt his numb legs scrambling to pick him up off the floor, hands searching frantically for his phone.

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

 

 

Overnight shifts on holidays should be banned, Jensen thought. He’d stayed over at the hospital 12 hours straight, Christmas Eve night to Christmas morning so his colleagues could be home with their families. Now here it was noon and he hadn’t even gotten to talk to his parents yet. Making a mental note to do that once he got home, Jensen stepped out side …

 

… right into a rain puddle. Growling in frustration, Jensen put up his umbrella and once again cursed the fact that he lived in such a rainy state. Right now it wouldn’t take much to convince him to up and leave. Work had been nothing but tiresome of late, not giving Jensen his normal silver lining of satisfaction. In fact, his love of medicine was running thin, stretched to the point of breaking. Too much stress, too much bullshit. Maybe it was time to move on, see what his options were.

 

Heading into his apartment building, Jensen shook out the umbrella, still aggravated at the unusual warm spell, if you could call it that, that was sweeping through the area making what should be snow turn into buckets of rain. He pulled his papers and two days worth of mail out of his mailbox and trudged up the steps, flipping through the Christmas cards and bills. 

 

He wasn’t paying much attention to what he was doing until he saw someone sitting in front of his door. Dark hair peeking out from under a wet hoodie, tall body hunched over. Sun tanned legs as long as a Texas mile, clad in board shorts and flip-flops. It could only be one person.

 

“Jared?” Jensen took the last step to the landing slowly, as if moving too fast would make Jared disappear. As it was Jared jolted his head up, whipping around to face Jensen with wide, tired eyes. Upon seeing Jensen, Jared clambered up, like his legs had suddenly grown too long for him and couldn’t quite figure out how to control them. Jensen held out a hand, easing his movements as he said, “What are you doing here?”

 

Jared shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then pulled the hood down off his head. “It’s damn cold here, man. I don’t know how you stand it.” As if to prove his point, his body shivered. “And fuck man, it’s raining. Why is it raining on Christmas?”

 

“I thought you liked the rain?” Jensen said, his voice purposefully sarcastic to hide the emotions welling up. He clutched his mail tighter in both hands to keep them still, to keep them from reaching out for Jared and pulling him close. It had been months but still his body felt its magnetic pull to all things Jared. Even his heart seemed to beat heavier, faster, pounding against his ribcage as if it too longed to be closer to the younger man.

 

Jared opened his mouth to reply but another shiver wracked his body, making his teeth chatter together.

 

Seeing the fine points of goosebumps breaking out on Jared’s skin snapped Jensen out of his shocked stupor. He quickly moved to unlock the door and ushered Jared in. He dropped his bag by the door, leaving his mail and keys on the table before he motioned for Jared to follow him into the bedroom.

 

Jensen tossed him a towel, then opened his closet and started to rummage around for something for Jared to change into as much as to calm his rapidly fraying nerves. When he came back out a minute later, a hair calmer, he saw Jared standing by his bookshelf. He’d kicked off the flip-flops and hoodie, the towel in one hand, pressed against his head frozen in mid motion. It took Jensen a minute to realize what had Jared staring.

 

Sitting as innocent as could be next to a picture of he and Chris and Steve, was little Jared the koala bear, magnetic arms clutching a frame. Inside, Jensen had placed a picture of the two of them Chris had taken after Jensen’s first surf lesson, both standing close to one another, grinning like idiots as the sun set behind them, and the strip of photos that he and Jared had taken at photo-booth the night on the boardwalk. Two of his favorite memories from his time on the island.

 

He cleared his throat and smiled wistfully when Jared turned around, cheeks flushing in embarrassment at getting caught staring. Jared returned the smile and turned back halfway, running his fingers over the picture for a moment, eyes heavy with nostalgia, before he faced Jensen again, voice whisper soft as said, “You kept it?”

 

“Yeah, of course.” In fact, Jensen had kept everything from his trip. Every picture he’d taken, extra game and ride tickets from the boardwalk, the parasailing brochure and receipt, the heart shaped rock Jared had found while hiking, the mini surfboard key chain that said ‘Jen’ on it. Everything. Even his notebook full of songs. No matter how painful they had seemed right after he’d gotten home, he’d decided to keep them, knowing he would be able to look back at them one day and smile.

 

“Not that I’m not happy to see you and all, but isn’t traveling 3,000 miles a little much to wish a guy Merry Christmas?” Jensen ran a hand through his hair for a moment before he gathered up the courage. He was thrilled Jared here, standing in his bedroom with that dopey, nostalgic smile plastered on his face, but it was also picking Jensen apart. Every time their eyes met, every breath inhaled with Jared’s scent, every word spoken, was like a dagger to his heart. And while he knew it was no picnic for Jared either, judging by the twitch and flutter of his pulse, his constant motion with his hands, his darting eyes, Jensen was eager to have it out and be done with it. “Why are you here, Jay?”

 

Jared chewed on his lip for a moment before he reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a tape. Jensen recognized it instantly. It had taken him hours of time in the studio, recording the songs over and over, playing the guitar until he thought his fingers would bleed. But in the end it had been worth it because it had been perfect. Even down to the title, permanent marker on masking tape proclaiming it as ‘Six Feet of Sunshine’.

 

But Jensen was a little confused now. He’d left that tape for Jared when he’d left five months ago. He’d nagged Chris over and over and over to make sure the envelope had gotten to Jared’s house, had been placed just so, propped up against little Jen the tiger. So why did it matter now?

 

As if sensing his thoughts, Jared smiled. “I just found it yesterday.” He blushed as he ducked his head for a moment. “I was so pissed off that you left that I just threw all our stuff in a box and put it in the garage. I knew I’d kick myself later for getting rid of it, but I just needed some distance from it.” He rubbed his hand nervously along the back of his neck as he continued. “I was packing up the house, thought about selling and heading somewhere else. The island just doesn’t have the same appeal since-“ Jared’s voice choked off, his eyes suddenly glazed with tears. He looked up at Jensen for a moment, cheeks flushing bright pink as he laid his eyes on the carpet at his feet. 

 

But it was too late. Jensen already knew what he was going to say, could still feel the sting of the words as they bounced around his head. The island just doesn’t have the same appeal since you left.

 

Jared seemed to compose him self after a moment, taking a deep breath before he picked up his head, gaze firmly fixed on a point above Jensen’s shoulder. “When I found it … well let’s just say you were wrong. Not about all of it, because I did find someone.”

 

Jensen’s stomach, despite his best efforts, tightened at the thought. Five months and he was still as much in love with Jared as he had been. 

 

“But that whole line about you being better as a memory for me … total bullshit.”

 

Jensen laughed despite himself. A laugh of relief, of months of stress and heartache, of missing the piece of his heart he’d left behind in the sand, of trying to move on, all bubbling to the surface in that one moment. He crossed the room in three strides and pulled Jared in his arms, foreheads pressed together as their lips danced a breath apart.

 

“We were so stupid about this, Jen. We could have worked it out. Because it doesn’t matter where we are, as long as I’m with you I can be happy.”

 

That was all Jensen needed to close the distance, pressing their lips together with desperate love and overwhelming need. “I know, I know. You’re right.” He kept the kisses short, punctuating each word he spoke. “I’ve missed the island. Wanted to go back so many times, just give it all up and start fresh.”

 

Jared pulled back, his hands framing Jensen’s face. “Really?”

 

Jensen just nodded and this time it was Jared’s turn to laugh. “Well then can we please get the fuck out of Seattle? It’s too damn cold.”

 

Jensen grinned as he pressed his lips to Jared’s once again. It was fast, it was irrational, it may come back to bite him in the ass later, but fuck it all. Jared was here in his arms and he was happy. Everything came second to that. Whatever happens, happens. It’ll all work out in time. Hell, it did for Joe.

 

Grinning brightly, Jensen leaned in capture Jared’s lips in a soft kiss before he whispered, “Hell yeah. Let’s get outta here.”

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOo


End file.
